The obvious choice, but the offline feature is what makes it worth having. Download entire regions over Wi-Fi before you head out and you'll have turn-by-turn directions, transit schedules, and restaurant reviews without burning a single megabyte of data. A recent update auto-refreshes your downloaded maps in the background, so they stay accurate without you having to re-download manually. We grab the maps for every country before we cross the border.

We used to recommend Maps.me, but it's gone downhill: intrusive ads, download limits, and privacy concerns (it sends location data to trackers even when using offline maps). Organic Maps is the open-source fork that does everything Maps.me used to do, without the baggage. It's built on the same OpenStreetMap data and fills the gaps Google misses, especially hiking trails, footpaths, and small roads in developing countries. We've relied on it in rural Laos and the mountains of northern Vietnam, where Google Maps showed nothing but blank space. No ads, no tracking, works entirely offline. Over 6 million installs and growing fast.

The largest hostel booking platform with over 17,000 hostels in 179 countries. The reviews are honest (fellow backpackers don't sugarcoat things), and the "Solo System" social feature lets you see who else is heading to the same hostel and join group chats before you arrive. The newer "Social Pass" even gives you access to the social features without booking a stay. We've found some of our best travel companions this way.

When Hostelworld doesn't have what you need, or when you want to compare hostels against guesthouses, homestays, and budget hotels, Booking.com fills the gaps. With 28 million+ properties in 220+ countries, it's particularly useful in regions where hostel coverage is thin. The loyalty programme gives you discounts after a few stays.

The search-to-"Everywhere" feature alone makes Skyscanner essential. Enter your departure city, select "Everywhere" as the destination, and it shows the cheapest flights to every reachable airport. The calendar view reveals the cheapest dates to fly. We always start flight research here, then book directly with the airline for better cancellation protection.

Enter any two places on earth and Rome2Rio shows every possible way to get between them: plane, train, bus, ferry, rideshare, or driving. It shows estimated costs and journey times for each option. Really useful when planning overland routes through regions with complicated transport networks, like getting from Hanoi to Luang Prabang or Zagreb to Dubrovnik.

Wise uses the real mid-market exchange rate with no markup and charges transparent fees starting at 0.41%. The debit card lets you spend abroad at the real exchange rate and withdraw cash from ATMs (two free withdrawals or up to $100/month free, then $1.50 per withdrawal plus 2% on amounts over that). Compared to a typical bank card that charges 3–5% on foreign transactions, the savings add up fast on a long trip. We haven't used a traditional bank card abroad in years.

Revolut has grown into Wise's main competitor, and a lot of backpackers now carry both. Revolut's free plan gives you fee-free card spending in 150+ currencies and £200/month in free ATM withdrawals. Where it goes further than Wise is the extras: built-in budgeting tools, eSIM data packages, lounge access on paid plans, and the ability to hold and exchange 24 currencies in the app. Wise still wins on the raw exchange rate (Revolut adds a small markup), but for day-to-day spending abroad Revolut is hard to beat.

The simplest and most reliable currency converter, covering 170+ currencies. It works offline using the last updated rates, so you can check conversions at a market stall without data. Every backpacker should have this for quick price checks. It takes the mental arithmetic out of haggling.

A purpose-built expense tracker for travellers. Log purchases in local currency and see automatic conversion to your home currency. Set daily or trip budgets and see at a glance whether you're on track. It works on both iOS and Android and offers trip sharing if you're travelling with a partner. Far more practical than a spreadsheet when you're logging expenses across multiple currencies.

The biggest eSIM marketplace, covering 200+ countries. Plans are pay-per-GB, which makes it budget-friendly if you mostly use Wi-Fi and just need data for maps, messaging, and the occasional search. We bought a 5GB Asia plan for a two-week trip and barely used half of it. Prices start low and you can top up from the app if you run out.

If you use more data or want the peace of mind of not worrying about limits, Holafly offers unlimited data plans for fixed periods (5, 10, 15, or 30 days). More expensive per day than Airalo, but you never have to think about how much data you're using. Good for remote workers or anyone who relies on video calls and hotspotting their laptop.

Automatic cloud backup of every photo you take. Losing a phone on the road happens more often than you'd think, and this is your insurance policy. The free tier gives you 15GB shared across Google Drive and Gmail, which fills up fast if you shoot a lot. The 100GB plan costs $1.99/month via Google One and is worth it for a long trip. Set backup to Wi-Fi only so it doesn't drain your data. The search is also genuinely useful: type "temple" or "beach" and it pulls up every matching photo across years of travel.

Proper photo editing on your phone. For backpackers who care about photo quality but don't carry a laptop, Lightroom Mobile replaces desktop post-processing entirely. The free version handles most of what you'd need. We edit all our travel photos on the road with it.

Forward your confirmation emails (flights, hotels, tours, car rentals) and TripIt automatically organises everything into a master itinerary with dates, times, addresses, and confirmation numbers. It works offline once synced, which means no digging through email at the airport. The free version covers most needs.

A newer trip planner that's become our go-to for the research and planning phase. Drop pins on a map, organise them into days, and it calculates driving distances between stops. You can import bookings, save places from Google Maps, and plan collaboratively with a travel partner. The free version covers most of what you need. Where TripIt organises confirmations you've already booked, Wanderlog helps you figure out what to book in the first place.